§ 66. Mr. Stourtonasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of War Transport if he will state separately the value of merchandise misappropriated from the four main line railways for each of the years 1939 to 1944 inclusive.
§ Mr. Noel-BakerAs my answer contains a number of figures, I will, with my hon. Friend's permission, circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT. In the meantime, my hon. Friend may be interested to know that the total claims paid by the railways in 1939 was £161,000, and for the first nine months of 1944, it had risen to £1,776,192.
§ Mr. StourtonDo not the figures indicate that there has been an enormous increase in the number of railway thefts since the beginning of the war? Will my hon. Friend bear in mind that the people of this country are entitled to expect reasonable protection of their property?
§ Mr. Noel-BakerYes, Sir. This is a most serious problem which, I am sorry
| Company. | 1939. | 1940. | 1941. | 1942. | 1943. | 1944 (nine months ended Sept.) | |
| … | £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | |
| C.L.C. | … | 1,600 | 5,191 | 13,638 | 20,460 | 22,580 | 17,902 |
| G.W.R. | … | 26,577 | 70,810 | 170,994 | 259,871 | 256,247 | 235, |
| L.N.E.R. | … | 42,058 | 134,907 | 287,264 | 429,059 | 514,262 | 525,990 |
| L.M.S.R. | … | 73,897 | 234,385 | 520,084 | 903,843 | 984,339 | 887,538 |
| S.R. | … | 17,091 | 38,602 | 83,310 | 108,029 | 113,741 | 109,288 |
| TOTAL | … | 161,223 | 483,895 | 1,075,290 | 1,721,262 | 1,891,169 | 1,776,192 |